Portion control

BoxerBrawler
BoxerBrawler Posts: 2,032 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
just some thoughts from my personal experience on potion control.

It has taken a while but I have finally learned the fine art of portion control! haha

It's amazing how we grow up (most of us), being told to finish our plate or else. You go to any restaurant around, unless it's gourmet or fine dining and it's all about huge portions for little cost. It's gross to me how people feel like they need so much food piled on their plates to feel like they are getting their monies worth. Ever visit a buffet? My goodness gracious! I see some folks with two or three plates piled sky high just because it's all you can eat. It's a real problem and unfortunately people just get so used to being like this they just don't know any better.

Portion control was difficult for me at first. Coming from a big Italian family where everything just had to be super sized and then you had to have seconds and bread with everything and dessert after every single meal, the first time I measured out four ounces of chicken I was like.... uhm... ya right, there's no way this will fill me up. But after a while of sticking to a standard serving size or portion size and eating slowly filling up the rest of my plate with veggies I have finally gotten a handle on it.

Now when I go to the grocery store I simply just ask for the exact portion. Like instead of getting a pound of Cod for me and my husband I can simply get 4 ounces for myself and six for him. I eat it thoughtfully and slowly and enjoy ever morsel and feel satisfied after without being sick to my stomach from overeating!

Replies

  • allana1111
    allana1111 Posts: 390 Member
    good thoughts... sometimes a problem for me.. but really if I just eat it slowly and drink water it turns out to be enough!
  • serindipte
    serindipte Posts: 1,557 Member
    Same here! I started out looking at a "portion" of pasta or meat and thinking... HA! Then I started looking at how I could fit a larger portion into my calories... the other night, I had it all sorted out. I could eat up to two servings of pasta and stay within my goals. I put the pasta on the plate, jotted down the grams, added my sauce, enjoyed the meal.. then went to do my math on how much of a portion that pasta was. Turned out to be .8 of a serving and I was perfectly happy with it. Surprised me but I've noticed that happening more and more.
  • BoxerBrawler
    BoxerBrawler Posts: 2,032 Member
    Yeah its very cool how once you start practicing portion control it becomes very easy to know how much of something should be eaten. It's also funny how the right portion can be filling and satisfying vs. over eating on huge portions!
  • allana1111
    allana1111 Posts: 390 Member
    I try to stay away from ravioli though... because I cannot control myself when it comes to that.
  • BoxerBrawler
    BoxerBrawler Posts: 2,032 Member
    I am like that with peanut butter. I don't even like it that much because it makes me feel bloated when I eat it but once I start.... it's as good as gone!
  • NiikouruDesu
    NiikouruDesu Posts: 100
    Good for you!
  • akj_25
    akj_25 Posts: 244 Member
    the key for me to understand and start to get a handle on portion control was when i started focusing on getting the right amount of protein throughout the day. after a couple days of eating close to 100 grams of protein a day suddenly it took less and less food for me to feel satisfied.
    now i can really tell when my protein amount is low because i am like a bear waking up in the spring - ravenously eating everything in sight.
  • tiffanybrooks530
    tiffanybrooks530 Posts: 140 Member
    yes that was an eye opener for me as well coming from a family that eats Southern American and Caribbean cuisines. I started using the small 6"-8" plates to eat my meals on. I only use the large 10"-12" when eating salads. And when we do eat comfort food we only preparing 1-2 serving sizes not the usual 4 to 6 with some left over for tomorrow anymore.
  • BoxerBrawler
    BoxerBrawler Posts: 2,032 Member
    Yep,,, it really truly does help!

    I remember the days of opening a bag of something and either eating right out of the bag, mindlessly, or dumping more than half or even sometimes the whole bag of whatever it was into a bowl!

    I might have mentioned before that I am a snack (salty/crunchy) snack person so I made sure to include some snack items like this in my calorie range every day. If I don't... binge city! Anyway, now when I open a bag of popcorn or cracker chips or whatever I made sure to look at the serving size/calories and only take the appropriate serving and sometimes even half. For some of the new healthier air popped pop corns you get 4 cups for 120 calories and I am always satisfied with just two cups! Years ago I'd eat half the bag hahaha! I am also totally satisfied with 20 hummus crisps or 20 skinny sticks as well :smile:

    It works the same way for me with sweets... if I make sure to allow myself one small piece of something every day or every other day, at the appropriate portion size, it has eliminated my craving and need and all consuming thoughts of chocolate on a daily basis LOL!

    I get the simply light dark chocolate bar with almonds. It's low carb with no added sugars, all natural. It is 110 calories per serving and the bar is about 3 1/2 servings. I usually just break of two small blocks which is about one half of a serving. It's a fairly big piece, rich and creamy yummy chocolate. That one small portion below the serving size is perfect and weighs in at around 55 calories :smile:

    I also use the tools that I learned for example once I make my breakfast, lunch, snacks or dinner plate before I eat I put the leftovers (if any) away so I am never tempted to stand there and pick or take seconds. And I remind myself that my stomach is about the size of my fist so... if I compare my fist to the food that is on my plate it's like a good wake up call.

    The days of eating or snacking right from the bag are long gone and I feel so much better as a result!
  • BoxerBrawler
    BoxerBrawler Posts: 2,032 Member
    the key for me to understand and start to get a handle on portion control was when i started focusing on getting the right amount of protein throughout the day. after a couple days of eating close to 100 grams of protein a day suddenly it took less and less food for me to feel satisfied.
    now i can really tell when my protein amount is low because i am like a bear waking up in the spring - ravenously eating everything in sight.

    Yes, I went through this too. Wondering why I was eating a lot but felt hungry anyway! I make a pretty good effort each day to go for the protein first or use foods that include a good amount of protein and then fill the rest with veggies, etc. You are right, the more protein you get the less hungry you are throughout the day. I have been using some protein shakes as well and those certainly do the trick. I could live on just meat and veggies LOL! I am the same way, if I don't have enough protein by the end of the day I'd eat anything I could get my hands on. I am a big fan of jerky for a quick protein snack. I buy the Turkey Perky Jerky... lower sodium and only 50 calories for an ounce. It's really good too... all natural, organic, etc. if you are into that type of thing. I don't mind going over my calories for the day if it is all protein. I am working on building additional muscle tone and we all know it takes more energy and calories to maintain muscle so.... :)
  • BoxerBrawler
    BoxerBrawler Posts: 2,032 Member
    I try to stay away from ravioli though... because I cannot control myself when it comes to that.

    Haha... we all have our thing!
    My mother is an outstanding Italian cook so it's really difficult when I go there. Yikes!

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